


Pop Out the Paternity Tests

by lunar_mischief



Category: NCIS, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crack, I swear this will become crack, i'm not even sorry, warning: 2am fic idea ahead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 00:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2368331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunar_mischief/pseuds/lunar_mischief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Pepper Potts witnesses the death of a marine, the NCIS crew comes to investigate. And if Tony (Stark, not Dinozzo) wasn't as  overprotective as he was neurotic, that might have been it. Or: hahaha 2am fic ideas are the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to the lovely MoonClaimed for fixing up my messes..again. And for giggling at 2am with me.

Very Special Agent Tony Dinozzo’s eyebrows shot up when he caught sight of his teammate exiting the elevator. “Oh my god,” he whispered giddily, not believing his eyes. It was like Christmas.

Ziva hummed in curiosity and followed the senior detective’s gaze. Upon laying eyes on Tim, she quickly hid her mouth behind her hand in an attempt to stifle her laugh.

“Don’t say anything,” Tim demanded, walking briskly past both of them to his desk, obviously avoiding their gazes.

“Aw, don’t be like that, McGoo,” Tony cooed, flashing him a smile. “We love you no matter what you are.”

“Tony-”

“Get your gear,” Gibbs commanded, striding into the bullpen and tossing Tony the keys. “We’ve got a…” His words died down when he caught sight of Tim. Not many things rendered the man speechless, but this… Tim’s cheeks flushed red and he quickly looked down, averting his eyes. “McGee,” he asked, finally, dreading the answer. “Why is your hair pink?”

And pink it was. Not a light pink or even a dusty rose. It was unmanly as they come and as bright as a highlighter.

Tim turned – if it was even possible – redder. “W-well, you see boss,” he stammered, “there was a slight mix up at the salon and, they, um, they-”

Gibbs rolled his eyes and walked away. “Kid could light up a Christmas tree,” he muttered as he stepped into the elevator.

“Salon, McGee?” Tony grinned. This new information would certainly last the car drive.

“Beauty salons do service both male and female clients, Tony,” Ziva stepped in.

“Thank you, Ziva.” Tim nodded in appreciation for the assist.

“However, the males are usually homosexuals,” the Israeli smirked before leaving the pen with a laughing Tony.

“I’m not gay!” Tim yelled from his desk.

A passing janitor glanced over at the fluorescent haired man and chuckled. “Sure you ain’t.”

* * *

 

The crime scene itself was nothing special – a dead marine with two bullet holes in the chest in the middle of a parking lot. There was even a witness, and, boy, was she a looker. A tall, skinny, redhead with a beautiful face. Tony couldn’t wait to go over and speak to her – women always needed a shoulder to lean on to get themselves through this type of thing, and Tony was just the man to do it.

“Special Agent Tony Dinozzo at your service,” he announced as he walked over, whipping off his sunglasses in a fluid motion. Chicks dug that stuff.

It was only when she turned to him that he realized how unnaturally composed she seemed to be. While most women could barely form a sentence and needed to sit down, her expression was more of a just-another-day-at-the-office.

“Pepper Potts,” she smiled, reaching out and shaking the agent’s hand.

“So, Miss Potts,” Tony said, a little put-off by her demeanor, but he was sure he could still make it work. He was a Dinozzo, after all. “Can you tell me about what you saw?”

Wait a minute, wasn’t Pepper Potts the name of some bigwig at Stark Industries? He quickly brushed off the thought. There was no way; that would be ridiculous.

Pepper opened her mouth to answer, but was distracted when she caught sight of another agent. “Is his hair pink?” Tony grinned, glancing at his fellow agent, but before he could let out a witty response, her phone went off. She glanced at the caller ID quick. “Sorry, I _really_ need to take this.” She walked a few paces away, taking a deep breath before picking up. “I’m fine, I’m fine!” she said immediately upon answering. “I’m just a witness, it’s nothing – no, I _don’t_ want you to suit up-”

“Oh my god. Boss, boss!” Tony glanced away from Pepper over to where Gibbs was standing, McGee batting him with his hand as he gaped at Pepper. “It’s Pepper Potts. It’s _the_ Pepper Potts.”

“That supposed to mean something to me?” the lead agent asked.

“She’s the CEO of Stark Industries! Boss, you’ve got to let me talk to her.  Please, boss, please!”

“Just try not to drool on her.”

“Thanks, boss!” Tim called over his shoulder, already jogging over to meet up with Tony. “I owe you one!”

“You owe me a lot more than that,” Gibbs muttered under his breath, turning to locate his ME for some sane conversation.

“-No, I said don’t-” Pepper groaned. “He hung up.”

“Is everything okay, Miss Potts?” Tony asked.

“Everything’s great,” she laughed in a way that clearly said otherwise.  “My boyfriend’s coming because he’s stupidly overprotective, which means there will be another thing I need to clean up, which means another press conference, and I really don’t have time for that this week!”

“Miss Potts,” Tim breathed, finally having made it over to her. “Let me just say what an honor it is to- did you just say Tony Stark is coming?” He grabbed onto Tony’s shoulder to catch himself.

“Iron Man’s coming?” Tony asked gleefully.

“Yes – no – Iron Man had better _not_ be coming. Tony had better show up _in the flesh or I swear to god I’ll-_ ” Pepper took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, is there another place we could do this? Somewhere not so public in case my idiot of a boyfriend decides to crash land here?”

“Of-of course, Miss Potts,” Tim stammered, still star struck. “Right this way.” The two agents led her over to their car. While only one of them needed to accompany her back to HQ, neither of them wanted to leave her, and Tony was pretty sure Ziva could handle the scene. He’d just make sure there was a fresh coffee on his boss’ desk for when he returned, and he should be fine. Maybe.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” Pepper said once they had piled into the automobile, snapping Tony out of his thoughts.

“Timothy. Timothy McGee. But you can call me Tim. I mean, if you want to.”

“It’ a pleasure to meet you, Tim.” Pepper couldn’t help but smile at the man’s bashfulness.

Tim blinked and turned to Tony, eyes wide. “She said my name!” he whispered loudly, too excited to really keep it down.

 A soft grunt was heard when Tony head-slapped his partner. “You’ll have to excuse McGeek over here. He’s…well he’s a special one.”

“Tony, show some respect. Pepper Potts is incredible! She went from being a PA to the CEO of the top technology firm in the world, raising both stocks and public opinions of the company, even in its hardest times!”

Pepper smiled at him. “Thank you, Tim.”

Agent McGee stared at her over the seat with a goofy love struck smile. “She said my name again.”

Pepper paused before answering slowly. “Yes, I did.” Because really, what else can you say to that?

They had just passed through the security checkpoint when a metal man appeared in front of them, and the car screeched to a halt.

“Oh my god; it’s him,” Tim drooled. “It’s Iron Man.”

Two small turrets popped up from his shoulders, aimed at the car. “Release Miss Potts. Now.”

“Look at the miniaturized missiles,” Tim breathed, mesmerized. “Look, look! You’re not looking!”

“No, I’m not looking at the things that are about to kill us,” Tony said through clenched teeth.

“But it’ll be Iron Man killing us!”

“Pepper?” The senior field agent turned to face the woman in the back, seeking some sanity. Clearly his partner was a lost cause.

“I swear to god, if he blows up another car this month, he’s sleeping on the couch,” Pepper huffed.

Tony blinked, nodded to himself, and turned back to face the superhero. Today seemed like a good day to die.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

"I said, release Miss Potts," Iron Man boomed, lifting his hand threatingly as he prepared to fire a repulsor blast.

Pepper snapped out of her grumbling, and, realizing that she was currently in the car that her boyfriend was threatening to shoot, scrambled for the handle. She stumbed out in her haste. "Tony, I'm fine!" she shouted, storming over to him. "And I specifically told you  _not_  to suit up!"

Iron Man's weapons returned to their compartments and his faceplate lifted, revealing the one and only Tony Stark. "Can't be too careful," he shrugged.

"With the government?" Pepper asked, incredulous.

"Hey, look at what happened to SHIELD. Speaking of which, Cap is going to kill me." Pepper raised a demanding eyebrow. "I might have thrown him into a wall during training and then bailed."

Pepper shook her head. "Tony…"

"I know, I know. But really, you're okay?" he asked, voice softening.

"I'm okay," she said, leaning in and giving him a peck on the lips. "Thanks for worrying."

Back in the SUV, Tim's voice returned to him. "It's Tony Stark," he whispered breathlessly. "Oh my god, it's really him."

"Breath, McGee!" Dinozzo said, grabbing his shoulder. "He's a billionaire, not Al Capone."

"It's Tony Stark!" he bellowed, and, classy as ever, he fell out of the car and ran over to the Stark of Stark Industries and grabbed the man'sI' hand with both of his, shaking it furiously, smack in the middle of the intimate moment. "Let me just say, Mr. Stark, what an honor it is to meet you. The way you revolutionized modern day technology using-"

"Yeah, uh, thanks," Tony said, face slightly flushed. While in interviews he was always a cocky ass, this was a man who was genuinely geeking out over him. The fact that it was a federal agent who was acting like a six year old wasn't helping. "Anyway," he said, jerking his hand out of the other man's grip, "we really should be going now. C'mon, Pep-"

"Sorry, no can do," Tony Dinozzo said as he casually strolled over to the superhero. "We need to take her statement."

"I'll e-mail it to you."

Tim's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

"McGeek,  _I_  can do that." The senior field agent put his sunglasses back on. "We really need to do it in person," Tony said, smiling charmingly at Pepper.

"Tony, it's fine," she assured her boyfriend. "I don't have a meeting until Wednesday, so what's the rush?"

Tony sighed. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

Pepper looked at him quizzically. "You're staying? I thought you'd want to get back to the workshop. Weren't you working on something with your targeting system?"

He shrugged. "What's one day? Besides, flew all the way down here. Might as well see the sights."

"Whatever you're doing, just move," a gruff voice called. "You're blocking the way."

"Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, allow me to introduce you to Gibbs," Agent Dinozzo smiled. "You're going to love him."

* * *

 

While NCIS' Tony took Pepper upstairs to question her about what she had witnessed, Tony Stark was led downstairs by Tim and Ziva.

"You're going to love it down here, Mr. Stark," Tim said, still jittering with excitement. "Abby's lab is full of all sorts cool machines – nothing as cool as Stark tech, I'm sure. Unless any of it is Stark tech, in which case you probably designed it, so you might-"

"What Agent McGee is trying to say, Mr. Stark," Ziva interrupted, "is that you might find the lab more exciting than upstairs. Or at the very least, you might give us an upgrade."

The inventor smiled, grateful for Ziva's calmness. "Honestly, anything is better than paperwork." The elevator dinged and the trio stepped out and walked into the forensic scientist's lab.

"Timmy, I'm glad you're here," Abby said without looking up. "I've been looking at..." She paused, sensing more than one person in the room, and spun around. Her Cafpow clattered to the floor. "No way."

"Abby, I'd like you to meet Mr. Stark," Ziva introduced cordially.

"That's… and he's… you're…hi," the goth said at last.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Hello." He stared up at her for a moment.

"Has anyone ever told you that you were shorter than they thought you would be?" Abby blurted out, covering her mouth as soon as the words left her lips.

"Abby!" Tim scolded.

Tony, bless him, just smirked. "Once or twice. But who needs height when you have genius?"

"Abby," Ziva said, breaking the silence that fell on the room, "why don't you show Mr. Stark around?"

"Oh! Right. Um." She bit her lip. "I don't know where to start."

Tony glanced around, grimacing. "It looks like a lot of…biology." He suppressed a shudder.

"Some of it is. I mean, you've got your gel electrophoresis, your fingerprint dusting, but sometimes we match ballistics or chemical compounds to… Okay," she nodded, realizing she was rambling. She looked down at Tony, suddenly realizing what he would be interested in, and grinned. "How would you like to see my workshop, Mr. Stark?"

* * *

 

"And you're sure that's all you saw?" Tony asked, scribbling down some information in a pad. Pepper nodded. "What about the car? Did you see any-" The phone in the conference room cut him off. "Hold on," he said, picking it up. "Dinozzo." He paused, digesting what he was being told, and Pepper frowned, being all too familiar with the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me face. "Yeah, we'll be right there." He hung up and sighed.

"Tony?" Pepper questioned.

"Hm?"

"Sorry, I meant my Tony. What did he do now?"

"McGee is definitely pulling my leg."

Pepper let out a humorless laugh. "Knowing Tony, he's really not."

* * *

 

"Get down!" Ziva shouted, taking cover behind a car from another case and narrowly escaping the foam that was blasted at her. "How do we stop it?" she yelled across the room.

"How should I know?" Tony grunted from his own hiding spot behind a tool box.

"You made it!"

"Not intentionally!"

"Tony!" Pepper's shrill voice carried down the hallway. "What did I say about building robots outside the workshop? Hell, what did I say about building them in the workshop? Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise as she was nearly hit with something pink. She quickly ducked back into the doorway.

"It wasn't my fault!" Tony called back.

"Oh, I suppose the robots just built themselves."

"It was an accident!" he protested

"Were you sleep creating again?"

"…No."

"Tony."

"Okay, maybe a little," he admitted. "But it's not my fault that I'm a genius!"

"What kind of genius plants an AI chip in a fire extinguisher? How do you even do that?" Pepper asked, exasperated.

"It's surprisingly simple, actually. You-"

"Tony," Pepper said firmly, glaring at her boyfriend. "Fix now, explain later."

"I'm not killing one of my children," he protested.

"Your children? What are you - oh," she said, realization dawning on her. "You were thinking of him, weren't you? Dummy?"

"What? Of course not."

"Tony."

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, fine; I'm worried about the guy. He doesn't do well on his own. And then…."

"And then there was a fire extinguisher in your hand with an AI in it," Pepper said, completing the inventor's thought. "He'll be fine," she added, softer. "He's a big boy, Tony."

"He's not and you know it!"

She chuckled lightly. "You know, sometimes I wonder who it is that can't live without the other. I'm done giving my statement, by the way, in case you wanted to head out," she added quickly before Tony could deny his feelings.

"I promised Abby an upgrade," he smiled apologetically.

"Here's your cappuccino with three shots of espresso, extra foam and extra cinnamon," Tim said, rushing into the workshop, nearly tripping in his haste to please. "I hope it's to your liking, sir."

Tony took a sip and all but purred. "Thanks, Timmy. But do you know what would go great with this? A blueberry yogurt muffin."

"I'm on it, sir!" Tim said, springing into action and actually stumbling a bit as he booked it out of there.

The fire extinguisher struck again, this time blasting Tony's drink out of his hand. "Tim!" he shouted. The agent's face popped out of the doorway a moment later, nearly getting hit himself. "I'm going to need another cappuccino."

"Coming right up!" Tim scurried away again.

Pepper stared at the agent's retreating form for a moment before looking back at her boyfriend deadpan. "I'm sure the upgrades are only reason you want to stay," she said flatly.

Tony shrugged, not denying the claim. "Kid knows his stuff, though. I'm doing the upgrades with him, actually."

"With him?" Pepper asked, unbelieving.

"Okay, so I'm doing them, but I'm showing him a few tricks," he shrugged as if it were nothing.

Pepper smirked. "You like him."

"What? No, he's just some guy."

"That you're teaching some stuff to. Tony, you won't even tell Steve how to use tabs on chrome, and it's  _Steve_."

Tony opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, considering his girlfriend's words. "Steve can barely handle a phone and you think he's ready for tabs?" He met Pepper's stare for a moment before conceding. "But you have a point. But like I said, kid knows his stuff."

"And?"

"And… he's okay, I guess. Goofy, certainly a geek, but… I'll teach him."

"You big old softie you. I'm going to head to the hotel; I have some paperwork to take care of. Don't stay out too late, okay?" She leaned in and pecked him on the lips before heading to the exit. "Good night, Tony."

Tony grunted in response, examining the fire extinguisher, completely oblivious to Abby as she walked into the workshop, humming. Her jaw dropped when she saw the damages. “What… but… how… I was gone for five minutes!”

Tony growled as the fire extinguisher sprayed him in the face. “Maybe I should dismantle you…”

* * *

 

It was some hours later that Tony emerged from one of the lab's computers and saw that his phone was blinking, notifying him of a voicemail. Long used to not hearing the damn thing when he was elbows deep in work, he picked it up without caring that whoever called was probably pissed at him for not answering. Realizing that it was from Pepper, he entered his password and called his voicemail. Before the message started, though, it dawned on him that Pepper had called not even ten minutes from when she left him. A strange feeling in his gut, he pressed play.

"-on, come on – Tony!" Pepper's voice sounded frantic. "I think, no wait, I don't think, I know. There's someone following me, Tony. I've driven all sorts of paths and this car hasn't stopped tailing me since I left the office. When you get this, Tony,  _please_  call – Oh, he's gone…" She laughed. "Sorry, he was behind me for so long, I just assumed… Well don't I feel silly now. Do me a favor, Tony? Bring home a bottle of something because I think I could use a drink. And don't – Oh god!" she screamed, and there was a screeching of brakes, a crash, and then there was nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so terrible. I promised people I would work on this ages ago, but then.. well, I'm not even going to make excuses because I'm so terrible at updating I'll likely do it again. Sorry!
> 
> Also, due to popular demand, I now have a tumblr! I will be posting updates, sneak peeks, etc., so check it out! I'm lunarmischief.
> 
> MoonClaimed is so seriously fantastic and you should all go and read all of her stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

**POP OUT THE PATERNITY TESTS CHAPTER 3**

 

Tony’s blood ran cold as the voicemail ended. “Jarvis,” he asked the AI, thankful he had decided to go for the neurological implant, “pull up all the records of local hospitals, 911 calls, whatever emergency service Pepper might have needed.”

“I see no mention of Miss Potts anywhere, sir,” the AI responded. Jarvis sounded calm, but Tony could sense his worry.

“What about someone matching her description?” the genius asked, mind racing.

“One moment.” The split second of silence was killing Tony. “There are no matches.”

“Where are you, Pep?” Tony muttered.

“Sir, I have located Miss Potts’ mobile phone.”

“J, suit. Now,” he commanded.

“On its way,” the AI assured.

Tony sprinted through the government building, ignoring all of the strange looks he was receiving. He made it outside and kept running, knowing Extremis would let the suit find him no matter where he was. He only stopped when he heard his name being shouted from across the parking lot.

“Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!” Tim shouted, running across the pavement. He supported himself on his thighs, out of breath, when he finally reached his target. “You’re faster than I thought you would be,” he panted. “What’s going on?”

“Pepper’s missing,” Tony replied curtly, eyes darting across the sky. Where the hell was his armor?

“Missing?” Tim’s eyebrows shot up. “What makes you say that?”

“Here.” Tony thrust his phone into the agent’s hands as soon as he had the voicemail replaying. “Jarvis?”

“Forty five seconds, sir.”

Tim was silent as he listened. “That sounds bad,” he finally said once the recording had finished playing. “She might be in a hospital by now.”

Tony shook his head. “No reports. I’m heading to her cell phone signal as soon as – finally!” The Iron Man armor came into view on the horizon. Moments later, it was assembled and on its creator.

“Mr. Stark, wait!” Tim cried as Tony began to fly away. “Mr. Stark!” he cried, panicked this time.

Inside his suit, proximity alarms began to ring. Tony looked down at his leg and blinked. “Damn it, Timmy, what did I say about holding onto my leg like a toddler? The repulsor is going to bun you again, and I don’t want to hear about it,” he sighed.

“Okay, okay, but just hear me out!” Tim shouted over the… actually, what was he shouting over? There was no other noise.

“You don’t have to yell. I can hear you just fine.”

“Oh,” he blinked. “Right, sorry. As I was saying, you should let us help you. Find Miss Potts, I mean.”

Tony frowned. “What does NCIS have that I don’t? I can access any intel.”

“Yes, but can you run forensics?”

“I could build my own lab in two days.” Tony considered the situation. “She was in a car accident, Timmy. She needs a doctor, not a scientist.”

“Just in case, you should let one of us come.”

Tony considered this. It certainly couldn’t hurt. “Alright,” he nodded.

“Wait, really?” Agent McGee asked, surprised the other had agreed so readily.

“Yup. Hang on.” Tony lifted Tim and repositioned him so he was held firmly in his arm.

“Hang on? Hang on for wha – oh no.” Tony shot off like a rocket, and Tim let out a cry.

“You okay?” Tony asked a few moments later when he touched down. “You sounded a bit like a castrato there.”

“Y-yeah,” Tim answered, but the waver in his voice said otherwise. “That was more intense than I thought it would be.”

“There’s Pepper’s car,” Tony pointed, no longer caring knowing Tim wasn’t about to faint on him. “But there’s no Pepper… Jarvis?”

“I detect no life forms.”

“Fuck.”

“There’s another set of tire tracks over here,” Tim said, walking over to the markings once he had his bearings back about him. “Could be someone found her and took her to a hospital themselves?” he suggested.

“Why wouldn’t they just call an ambulance?”

“Maybe they didn’t have a cell phone?” Tim frowned, knowing that was highly unlikely.

“Jarvis, are you sure there were no calls about an accident involving Pepper’s car?”

“There were no reports of an ambulance call to this location… Let me access all local law enforcement phone records.” There was a pause that lasted far too long for Tony’s liking. “It would appear someone phoned in an accident at this location, but only just recently. The car was discovered only a few minutes ago.”

Tony frowned. “This isn’t a major road?” he asked Tim.

The agent shook his head. “Not really. Not much on here for a couple of miles. It’s mostly used for runners. Most people avoid driving on it at night. Long and winding without lights… You think they’d at least illuminate it. This is D.C.” he added as an afterthought.

“Sir, take a look at Miss Potts’ car. There is blood on the passenger seat and outside the car.”

Tony’s head whipped to where the AI had instructed. “Timmy?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, “I might need some of your tech after all.”

The agent looked up from where he had knelt and followed the elder man’s gaze. “I hate to say it, Tony, but I think someone took her.”

Tony sighed. “We were having such a good month, too.”

“You don’t seem surprised,” McGee frowned.

“Timmy, I’m a billionaire. Kidnappings and ransoms are part of the occupation.” He frowned. “Though since Iron Man, they usually go after me, not Pep…”

Tim blinked at Tony’s nonchalance. “Actually, I’m not sure this has to do with your company,” he said after a pause.

Now it was Tony’s turn to frown. “What else would it be about?”

“I’m going to call Gibbs. I think she might have been taken because of the crime she witnessed.” Tony looked at him questioningly. “It’s just a hunch, but the timing’s a little too coincidental otherwise,” he admitted. “And it’s always better to be safe than sorry.”

Tony chewed on his lip. He could easily take care of this himself, but he wasn’t sure Pepper would approve of him blowing up another building for her. She was always talking about doing things “by the book” and “through the proper channels,” whatever that meant.

“Fine,” he finally conceded. “But I want Abby on it.”

Tim looked at him like he had two heads. “Who else would we call?”

* * *

“Boss, I’ve already sent photos of the tire marks to Abby and collected a blood sample for her to analyze,” McGee announced as his boss arrived on the scene with Ziva and Tony in tow.

Gibbs nodded in acknowledgement. “DiNozzo, photos. Ziva, she thought she was being tailed, right? Find out if they were seen on any traffic cameras in the area.”

“Uh, Gibbs, I can’t do that from here,” Ziva said. “I need a computer to access…” Gibbs was staring blankly at her. “I will look for them on foot,” she amended.

“I can do everything on my own, you know. Genius, remember?” Tony said, pointing to himself. He had stepped out of his armor for the time being.

“My witness, my case,” Gibbs replied easily.

Tony blinked. He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when he saw the pointed look the leader was giving him. “Okay. Your case. So what do I do?”

“You just go back to your hotel and we’ll call you when we find something.”

Tony stared at Gibbs in disbelief. “Do you really think I’ll go back and be a good little boy?” he sneered.

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“And why the hell would I do that when Pepper could be dying?” Tony growled.

“Because there isn’t anything you can do right now. Could you build the machines you need? Yeah, but we’ve already got ‘em,” Gibbs countered. “Go home. Get some sleep.”

“I’d do what he says,” Tim said to the billionaire as he watched his boss walk over to the car to talk to DiNozzo. “If this case goes like all of our others, it’s best to sleep when you get the chance.”

“I was never one for sleep anyway,” Tony shrugged defiantly.

“Then… why don’t you go back to Abby’s and help her prep for the cars? Maybe you can help her,” Tim suggested.

Tony considered the idea for a moment. The idea of doing something with his hands was appealing. “Fine,” he conceded, stepping back into his armor, “but the minute you find anything, and I mean _anything_ , you call me.” Tony didn’t wait for a response as he rocketed out of the crime scene.

“McGee!” Gibbs called, looking at him like he was an idiot.

“Coming boss!”

* * *

 

Forensics, as it turned out, bored the hell out of Tony. Despite his worry and his best effort to stay invested in their research, Tony had soon fallen asleep, the workbench being an all too familiar bed for him. Unbeknownst to him, several hour had past and new information had come to light. He wasn’t answering his cell, though, and Abby just couldn’t bring herself to wake him.

He was so out of it that he missed Major Mass Spec alerting Abby of an unusual finding in Pepper’s blood – he hadn’t missed when she had confirmed that it was Pepper’s three hours ago.

Abby looked up suddenly when her computer screen started flashing, and her jaw dropped. There was no way. Her fingers flew deftly over the keyboard as she double checked and triple checked the intel.

“Oh. My. God,” she whispered. She stood frozen, staring at the screen in front of her before running off, limbs flailing. “Gibbs! Gibbs!”

Tony groaned, waking up to the sound of Abby’s shouts as she fled the lab. He shifted, stretching his tight muscles and yawned before stretching and sitting up. He blinked blearily at the flashing screen, and blinked again, not understanding what it was trying to tell him, and then once more, not believing what it was saying.

On one side of the screen was Pepper’s face. The other had Ducky’s. Red capitalized font blinked over the images with two words:

MATCH FOUND


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hopefully it's worth the wait (and continues to be since I don't fully know what's happening next).
> 
> I should marry MoonClaimed so she can help me in everything, not just my fics. Srs, babe, thanks.

I do not believe it!” Ziva cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “There is only one camera in the area. One!”

“What did you expect?” DiNozzo asked, peering across from his desk. “It’s a deserted road.”

“I thought there would be more than one, that’s for sure. And there’s not even a car that drives past in the time period that Pepper went missing.”

Tony frowned. That didn’t seem right. “The car had to go by. There’s only one way in and one way out.”

“Then you find it,” she huffed. “Because I have watched the footage eight times and found nothing.”

The Italian stood up and strolled over to his partner’s desk, leaning over to watch the footage. Ziva sped through the nothingness. “Play it again,” he ordered once it had finished.

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing there,” Ziva said, but replayed it nonetheless.

“Stop!” Tony ordered. “Go back…. There.” He pointed to the screen. “Notice anything?”

“A leaf. A leaf is falling. What does that tell us?” she said, crossing her arms.

“When the same leaf fell five minutes ago, it tells us everything.”

Ziva blinked, then leaned toward the screen. She punched in a few commands and resumed playback. Sure enough, the leaf fell again five minutes later. “They looped it.”

“That they did, Ziva. That they did. You know what this means, don’t you?”

She looked him dead in the eyes. “This was all planned.”

“Wasn’t there a gas station just down the road from the camera? Maybe they saw someone,” Tony suggested.

Ziva checked her watch. “They should be open by now.”

Tony grabbed his coat. “What are we waiting for?”

* * *

 

Tony Stark groaned, squeezing his eyes tight in hopes of willing himself back to sleep. It was far too early, and he hadn’t slept since… what was today? He pushed the thought away. The date didn’t matter. He needed sleep, and he was going to get it. Besides, Pepper was in Washington, so it wasn’t like she was going to…

Pepper.

Tony snapped awake with a jolt. How could he have forgotten about Pepper? Better yet, how could he have fallen asleep while she was still missing? He sat up, stretching his arms up and popping his back, before he blearily rubbed his eyes. Coffee. He needed coffee. Once he was fully caffeinated he’d be good to resume the manhunt.

Tony looked around the room. Abby surly had to have a coffee pot somewhere in here. How else was she so peppy? As he surveyed the room, his eyes fell on the monitor with an all too familiar face on it next to an older gentleman. He scanned the text.

“…What?” Tony blinked, sure his barely awake mind had to be tricking him. “What?”

* * *

 

“Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs!” Abby shouted as she ran into the bullpen, pigtails bouncing and arms still flailing.

“What is it, Abs?” the agent asked, a slight smile quirking his lips at the scientist’s excitement.

“It’s a girl,” she announced proudly.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs stared at her for a minute, mind blank. “Uh, congratulations, Abs. I didn’t know you were expecting.”

“Oh, I’m not,” Abby denied, eyes wide. “I said it’s a girl, not that she’s my girl, though I understand how that could get confusing. She’s definitely not mine. I’ve never been pregnant – well, there was that one scare with Peter Malkovich back in the tenth grade, but-”

“Abby.” Gibbs looked at her, eyes telling her to get to the point.

“Right. So I was running the blood like I was supposed to, and it’s definitely Pepper’s.”

“I know that, Abs. You told me three hours ago. What’s this about a girl?”

“Do you remember how Ducky told us he donated his sperm when he was younger?” Abby asked, eyes glistening with anticipation of the big news. “Well I always double check any new DNA against his, just in case. It’s a slim chance I’ll get a hit, but-”

“Are you saying that I think you’re saying?” Gibbs asked.

Abby beamed. “Pepper Potts is-“

“Ah, Jethro! There you are!” Dr. Mallard called as he walked towards his desk. “I have completed my autopsy of our dead sergeant, and-”

“Congratulations!” Abby cried, suddenly glomping the medical examiner.

“I… Well, thank you, Abby, but it’s nothing new. I do it every day,” the doctor chuckled.

“No, not that! With Pepper!”

“With Miss Potts?” Ducky asked, confusion scrunching on his face. “Whatever do you mean?”

“She’s your daughter!” Abby exclaimed, barely able to contain herself.

“I… what?” For once in his life, Ducky was at a loss for words.

“A few years ago you told me you donated sperm when you were younger, and ever since I’ve been running every DNA sample I can find against yours on the off chance that there’s a match. So I ran Pepper’s like I always do, and it was. It was a match! Congratulations Ducky!” she cried, throwing her arms around him.

“Goodness me,” Ducky said, shocked. “This is a lot to take in. And you’re sure?”

“Has Major Mass Spec ever let you down before?”

“Not once,” Gibbs stated.

“I… have a daughter,” Ducky said slowly, a faint smile on his face.

“I didn’t know you had kids,” Tim said, strolling in and dropping his stuff down.

“Neither did I.” Tim stared at the medical examiner, perplexed.

“McGee.” Gibbs stared at his agent expectedly.

“Right, sorry boss.” Tim typed a few things on his computer and his presentation came up. “I ran a background check on a Mr. James Daveezen, the owner of the handgun that shot Colonel Olsen. He has a record. Three charges against him for possession, and he was in a bar fight last week. Got pretty brutal.”

“What was his relation with Olsen?”

“None, as far as I can tell. But I’m still looking,” Tim said quickly, before Gibbs could interject. “He drives a navy civic. Abs?”

“Matches the tire print by Pepper’s car,” the forensic scientist answered, still hugging Ducky.

“Put out a BOLO. Credit card activity?” Gibbs asked.

“Nothing since eight o’clock last night when he gassed up and hit a McDonald’s.”

“Is that the guy?” Tony Stark called out as he approached the team. He stopped in front of the monitor, staring intently at Daveezen. He was Caucasian with a shaved head and beady eyes. A tattoo of an axe adorned his neck.

“We’re not sure yet, but we have reason to suspect-”

“Then why isn’t he here?” Tony interrupted, whirling on Tim. “If you think he took Pepper, why isn’t he here yet?”

“Because we don’t know where he is.” Gibbs’ voice was calm.

Tony faced him. “What do you mean you don’t know where he is? Isn’t the government supposed to know everything about us? Every move we’re making, every thought we’re thinking? What happened to Big Brother?”

“He doesn’t have Stark Tech.”

Tony blinked, not expecting the response. “Well then he’d better get some before my girlfriend gets killed.”

“Mr. Stark, there’s no reason to use that tone,” Ducky interjected. “We’re doing everything we can-”

“Oh, he’s doing everything he can. It’s okay if you fail as long as he gets an A for effort. Is that how it is around here? Honestly, I thought you’d care more, seeing how it is your _daughter’s_ life at stake.”

The team was silent.

“You saw that, huh?” Abby said, cringing at her mistake. She should have closed out the screen, but in her excitement she was careless.

“Who said you could invade Pepper’s privacy like that?” Tony was fuming now.

“Mr. Stark,” Gibbs said firmly, “if you continue to harass my team, I will have you removed from the premises,” he threatened. “I’d rather have you on my side, but I cannot allow you to attack them.” Tim’s desk phone rang and he quickly answered it, looking for a way out of the tension that was quickly flooding the room.

Tony stared long and hard at Gibbs before taking a deep breath. “Fine. Send me what you have, and I’ll see what Jarvis can dig up. I’ll find him.”

“No need,” Tim said. The room looked up at him. “Daveezen’s on the line. It’s for you,” he said, holding out the phone to Tony while quickly typing in the commands to trace the call on his computer.

Tony took the phone “Stark morgue. You kill ‘em, we chill ‘em,” he answered nonchalantly.

“If you do not do exactly as I say, you will be chilling Pepper Pott’s body very soon.”


End file.
